Page 134 of Bones

His clenched expression was dark and sinister, especially with his head covered by his hood. “It’s been ages since we fought like this. Together. But last time did not end well.”

I forced out the words I didn’t want to speak. “This is a trap.”

I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t have a vision. But like Deke, I could suddenly feel the fullness of that underground room.

And they were waiting for us.

“We know,” Lennon said. “But if we don’t go in, whatever this sensation is will grow. Spread. I don’t want to think about how many innocent lives will be lost.”

“We won’t let it.” Lilith took his hand. “We’ll just have to make sure their trap doesn’t work.”

Determination went over our small group as we silently filed in and down a dank set of stairs.

Well, everyone was silent but Juno.

She was singing “Push It.”

“Again?” Denny hissed.

“You know what it’s like when I get a song stuck in my head. Plus, this one helps me focus.”

We walked through an open doorway into what looked to be an expansive bunker.Lilith paused, scanning the room even though it was too dark for a normal person to see. She wasn’t normal, though. “No one is here. Are we in the wrong place?”

“No,” Deke said.

The oddest sensation rippled over me. It was a familiar one. What little power I’d finally tapped into at the apartment was smothered.

Dulled.

It reminded me of when I’d been in the drugged haze, just far more powerful.

Lilith took another step in, and it was just in time. Otherwise, she would’ve been cut off from the group when the heavy door closed suddenly, the tumblers echoing as they slid into place.

In the dim lighting, I could just barely make out the cots, chests, and metal shelves stacked with food lining the wall right next to us.

It’s like a military base mixed with a nuclear bomb shelter.

Military.

“Steve Jones,” I whispered. “Or Hale or whoever.”

“Whoever is right,” a gravelly voice called out. From an open doorway across the room, Jones strode in.

And he wasn’t alone.

Dozens of men and women filed in after him. More. I lost count, and they still weren’t done.

Unlike Jones’ pressed cargo khakis and tucked-in beige tee, the others wore suits and pretty dresses. They looked… normal. Like they could be someone’s neighbor. Friend. Church member.

But they were evil. All of them.

“I’ve never seen anyone so full.” Deke shook his head. “I don’t understand it.”

“Maybe being a dick is his dream job, and he finds it fulfilling,” Lilith said, joking past the fear evident on her face.

“We can’t poof back out,” Juno whispered. “No way to retreat and reassess.”

“There’s no time anyway,” I said. “You heard Lennon. If we leave, others die.”

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